Blissville: Hidden Corner of Long Island City

The Roosevelt Island Historical Society hosts this film screening and discussion with the filmmaker

DetailsNovember 09, 2017
Roosevelt Island Library

Get a fascinating close-up look at a hidden corner of Roosevelt Island’s nearby neighbor, Long Island City (LIC), in the one-hour film Blissville.

In Blissville, documentarian Hank Linhart captures the varied businesses in this historic neighborhood within LIC named after Neziah Bliss, who owned most of the land in the 1830s and 1840s. These include a sushi factory, an Afghan bakery, and a company that manufactures replicas of the Statue of Liberty. Blissville also documents the every day lives of LIC residents, including a rare glimpse into a community of the Romani (known in the English speaking world as gypsies).

The film Blissville is based on research that Mr. Linhart began in 1989, suspended in 1996, resumed in 2012, and completed in 2017. Following the screening of Blissville, Mr. Linhart will lead an audience discussion.

The event, free and open to the public, is the second in the Society’s annual series of Fall Lectures.